happiness interviews

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I met Kerrie McLoughlin because she proof read my Happiness Habits Formula (and thank god she did). She was kind and helpful and put in that extra mile to give me some advice. I’m very grateful. I didn’t know then that she was a published author of five books and home-schooling mother of 5. Wow! Here is Kerrie letting us know the things that make her happy! Thank you Kerrie

1. Out of ten how happy are you right now?Very happy indeed

2. What ‘little things’ in your life make you happy and why?My 5 kids are little! They make me very happy. My marriage. Being able to work from home and homeschool because I’m living my dream of being with my kids and doing my work. Iced coffee because it’s yummy. 3. What makes you happy in your current relationships and why?The fact that my husband is supportive of me and that we can communicate well, argue, move on. Trust. Give and take. Same for the very few real female friendships I have. Authenticity. 4. What makes you happy about being a woman and why?Wearing makeup if I want to. Wearing retro cute clothing or putting on sweats and being confident either way. That I am nurturing. 5. What makes you happy about men and why?That they don’t get as involved in all the drama. Sometimes I get mad at my husband when he tries to calm a fire that’s going on in my life but later realize he was right! ARGH!6. What would make you more happy in the future and why?TRAVEL all over the world with my entire family making memories and learning.

Sandra is a corporate lawyer by day and online entrepreneur by night. She has created The Corner Office coaching program, assisting (legal) professionals in creating a life on their terms. www.sandrariosvital.com

Out of ten how happy are you right now?I would give myself an 8 – have worked hard this year on opening my chakras, allowing the energy to flow. Have kept an open heart to anything that came along.

2) What ‘little things’ in your life make you happy and why?
I have learned to appreciate life a lot – anything could make me smile. A kind gesture, a rainbow, the smell of coffee.

3) Which people in your life make you happy and why?
My son, my boyfriend, my mother and my friends. They bring me lots of joy yet also keep me grounded.

4) What do you feel would give you more happiness in your life right now?
Patience – I have pictured the perfect day, yet there is a lot of work still to be done to get there. Whenever I stumble upon an obstacle, my mantra “this too shall pass” sees me through.

5) What makes you happy in your current relationships and why?
The ability to receive love – I always gave gave gave and finally am able to receive.

6) What foods and drinks make you happy and why?
Chocolate – love the smell and taste. Coffee – must admit I prefer the taste of tea, yet coffee lifts me up and it is also part of the daily transition from “school-run mama” to “go getting professional”. Champagne – would love to drink that every day. Pasta – with a rich creamy sauce.

7) What is your favourite song or piece of music and why?
Oh, that is a tough one. You can sell me almost any kind of music, anytime, apart from trash metal or hard core dance. Yet there is one song that always makes me smile: Come on Eileen (Dexy’s Midnight Runners).

8) What makes you happy about being a woman and why?
My body shape. My ability to multi-task. Having been able to carry a child.

9) What makes you happy about men and why?
They are a fun species, aren’t they? Most probably will never understand them, but I love interacting with them. Sexually, yet also when it comes to talking, having fun or working together.

10) What would make you more happy in the future and why?
I would love to live according to the perfect day I have planned out: spend a few hours a day making cash (mostly online), followed by:
i) ME-time (dancing, language courses, lunches with friends)
ii) Tony (my son is named Antonio)-time
iii) family time (with my son, mother, boyfriend and his daughters)
iv) couple-time (chilling out with my boyfriend and/or having fun with friends).

11) Out of ten how happy are you after answering these questions?
A 9 actually – it made me realize how happy and grateful I already am!

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I have not posted a happiness questionnaire for quite some time. This one is particularly special for me because the respondant is my eldest daughter Suzanne. The aim of these questionnaires is to help people get in touch with what actually makes them happy at this current time. The idea is to live happiness in every moment and in every way possible. To infuse life with what we love.

1) What ‘little things’ in your life make you happy and why?

Music

Cooking and eating good nutritious food

Sunshine

My bed which means a good rest and a cosy nest

2) What people make you happy and why?

Joel Dunn- makes me laugh and feel secure. He is kind

Alison Perry- because she makes questionnaires like this

Nicki Bailey- because she is positive, kind and thoughtful

3) What do you feel would give you more happiness in life at the moment?

A more creative job

Certainty

Freedom

4) What makes you happy in your current relationship and why?

Sharing

ease of sharing tasks and responsibility

security to know someone

5) What makes you happy about being a woman and why?

Emotionally developed

Solidarity

6) What makes you happy about men and why?

Calm strength

Ability to lift things

7) Allow yourself to free flow and bring to mind any other things that make you happy.

Being useful, hugs, sun, beach, growing food, helping people, being in nature, adventure, developing my skills
Suzanne Perry is Research and Policy Assistant for i-HOP (Information Hub on Children of Offenders for Professionals) Barnardo’s. She is also my eldest daughter of which I am very proud. ///:-)

She and her partner Joel recently cycled from Bristol to Southampton for the charity MIND. You can hear all about it in this post.

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I am happy to be embarking on a conscious power exchange relationship with my significant other. (“Taken in Hand” or “1950’s Household” would be the topics to research if you are interested in learning more.) Respectful open communication and honesty have always been benchmarks of our relationship, but we actually have house rules now and defined roles in our relationship. The expectations and groundwork we’re laying are things I am very excited about. It pleases me very much to be building a more traditional relationship dynamic; I have been disheartened at the modern state of what is considered the relationship norm. I am so happy we can make an effort to live how we see best!

I am happy to be seeing more of my family as actual quality time and not just “check in the box” sort of experiences (an hour at each parent’s house just because we’re in town does not count as quality time!). I feel that my emphasis lately on more quality relationships with the ones I love may be rubbing off on them, and I really hope to continue this so that someday my kids will be close with the family.

6. What foods and drinks make you happy and why?

Well, what foods and drinks don’t make me happy…? 🙂 Okay I am not big on junk foods.

Right now I am loving cucumber water, fruity green teas, and lemonade! The foods we have been enjoying lately…grilled foods. I cannot get enough of summer cuisine. The significant other made me a strawberry banana smoothie this morning for breakfast…I cannot tell you how energized and light I felt today.

7. What makes you happy about being a woman and why?

I love the different perspectives we all have, not only because of gender, but many other qualities. I appreciate that I am an emotional person and some days I feel softer. I prefer the days where I feel sharp and keen and ready to conquer the world, but the soft days I feel more in touch with myself and the universe at large. I love that I can paint my nails crazy colors and wear purple pants and no one second guesses me. Not many men could pull either of these off. 😉

8. What makes you happy about men and why?

Men in general…I’m happy that they tend to be more logical. That kind of thinking exhausts me. My significant other…I am so happy he is comfortable taking responsibility as the Head of the Household, so happy he is such a great communicator and listener, so happy he shares his perspectives on life and my business in general. These are perspectives I would not otherwise see at all!

9. What would make you more happy in the future and why?

In general, a happier future for me means more “down time” creating and really enjoying life. I am on a path to simplify and build up my dreams, and this is going to be a process. I want to create a life with tangible connections to my family, more involvement in my community, and dedication to my business. I am looking forward to lavishing my (someday) babies with love and support and a solid foundation – family and values. I will not necessarily be happier when all of this happens, but I know that in creating it I will be creating joy!

10. Out of ten how happy are you after answering these questions?

I can admit it, fine…8 🙂

Jessica Prokupek is a graphic artist and pixel wizard, and the owner of Easy as Pie Graphics. Her main mission in this life is to help business owners get their graphic representation in tip-top shape and to create beautiful art for the rest of the world.
She specializes in logo design, PDF creation, illustration, and is most recently developing her improved Design Review service to better assist entrepreneurs-on-a-budget! If you need graphics creation, troubleshooting, or touch-up work, Jessica would love to hear from you!

2. What ‘little things’ in your life make you happy and why?NICE SMELLS. NICE THINGS. SMALL ACTS OF KINDNESS. CANDLES. WHEN THINGS WORK OUT WELL. WHEN THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS (E.G. WITH FAMILY, HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS, CHILDREN, MONEY). THE FULL MOON. GOOD COFFEE. CUPS OF TEA.

3. Which people in your life make you happy and why?
MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY

4. What do you feel would give you more happiness in your life right now?
MORE TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

5. What makes you happy in your current relationships and why?
SHARED SENSE OF HUMOUR. SHARED INTERESTS. OPPORTUNITY TO BE LISTENED TO AND LISTEN.

6. What foods and drinks make you happy and why?
ALL FOOD AND DRINKS MAKE ME HAPPY

7. What makes you happy about being a woman and why?
WE ARE SOFT AND BEAUTIFUL. WE HAVE PERIODS. WE CREATE AND NURTURE LIFE. WE CAN MULTITASK. WE ARE EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT.

8. What makes you happy about men and why?
NOTHING MAKES ME HAPPY ABOUT MEN. SOME PARTICULAR MEN MAKE ME HAPPY. E.G. WHEN THEY SET ABOUT TO MEET MY NEEDS.

FUNDAMENTALLY, BEING HAPPY IS ABOUT HAVING ONE’S NEEDS MET.

9. Out of ten how happy are you after answering these questions?7

Dr Sarah Earle is the Associate Dean of Research & Enterprise for the Faculty of Health & Social Care at the Open University, UK. She is also my sister. \\\:-)

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Here are a few of the captions under the pictures I’ve pinned:
• Smelling the roses
• The feeling of lush, green grass under my bare feet
• Hugging
• Settling down under crisp, white sheets
• Soaking in a steaming hot bath
• Seeing a rainbow after the rain
• Afternoon tea & a chat with friends

The images I pin on Pinterest are able to engage my senses so that when I look at them I can really trigger the feelings, smells and tastes for a full whammy of what William Bloom calls “The Endorphin Effect”.
I recommend to my clients that they create their own boards on Pinterest. Creating a Business Vision board, for example, helps practitioners and coaches to focus on the lifestyle they want, the clients they want to work with, how they want to be working. Creating an Inspiration board can help with clarity around branding. If you can dream it, you can pin it!
Apparently, people choose images with the feeling part of the brain so creating a board can be a great way to get in touch with your values and passions. Having a visual image of what you want to achieve can help you start working toward your goals.

A creative exercise I used in my earlier life as teacher of English to foreign learners was getting my students to write poetry. This was based around the formula:

1. Choose an emotion
2. What colour is this emotion?
3. What does it smell like?
4. What does it taste like?
5. What does it look like?
6. What does it sound like?
7. What does it feel like?
8. Complete this sentence “[the emotion]is [adjective]”

For example:
Happiness is yellow.
It smells like the sun on skin
It tastes like zesty lime and soda
It looks like the face of a friendly dog
It sounds like children playing in water in summer
It feels like putting your cold feet in a pair of soft fluffy slippers
Happiness is contagious

The students really enjoyed tapping into their feelings and creating sentences around the senses. Some of them said they would be taking the idea back home with them.

2. Which particular people in your life make you happy and why?
When it comes to hanging out, I like to be with people who have a shared view on life. I do think, though, that everyone can teach us something when the moment is right and we are receptive to it.

3. What do you feel would give you more happiness in your life right now?
Being more self disciplined about meditating regularly. I also have some wonderful sound healing CDs and always feel better after I’ve listened to them. Getting out into nature more too. In essence, taking more time to unplug from everything is a direct line to greater happiness for me. Sometimes I need to remember to just do it!

Personally, when I am feeling down about something, I find positive affirmations don’t work as my low state at that moment is just too far from the meaning of the words in the affirmations. Instead I like to look for things that I am grateful for and this helps lift my mood. I start with things that my contrary, negative voice can’t argue with, such as: “This coffee tastes good” if I’m drinking coffee. I can then work my way up the scale, inch by inch if necessary, to a better, happier state.

I think it’s exciting that society at large seems to be opening itself up to more happiness and joy. Witness the home recordings of people singing and dancing to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and the Gangnam Style dancing phenomenom last year, the fact that major retailers are selling positive message wall art in their homeware departments and that images with uplifting messages are among the most popular and most shared tweets or posts on social media. The Southbank even had a Festival of Love very recently!

About Petra
My name is Petra Harries and I help holistic practitioners, therapists, healers & coaches to find the right sales and marketing strategies so they can get clear, get paying clients and grow their heart-centred businesses.

It’s incredibly rewarding to see people doing what they love and, at the same time, making a big difference to their own & their clients’ lives; I love my job! But.. there are so many talented people who are not out there helping their ideal clients. There are wonderful therapies, treatments, healing modalities and coaching approaches available to us at this time and people are actively searching for something more. It’s a great time to be a heart-centred entrepreneur.

I firmly believe that as a solopreneur you and your business are inextricably linked and because people can get stuck by limiting beliefs about themselves and working for themselves, I also use coaching tools and visualisations to help clients move forward. One of my favourite sayings is “Your clients need you now, not when you’re perfect.”

I have been an educator, a trainer, a sales & marketing manager and a director of a small business. In addition to this I am a Reiki Seichem practitioner and an animal healer. I am both an accredited small business coach and a personal transformation coach, having trained with The Animas Centre for Coaching.